Courtesy Busch Family Brewing and Distilling
When William K "Billy" Busch discontinued production of his award-winning Kräftig and Kräftig Light beers in 2019, he told SLM: “Don’t count us out. This business is in my blood. We’re already considering new avenues. Stay tuned.”
Two years and one pandemic later, the great-grandson of Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, is back in the beer business.
In 2018, when Kräftig (pronounced KREF-tig) was still trying to gain a foothold in the American lager business, Busch announced plans to build a microbrewery and distillery in Defiance, Missouri, on property that he owns adjacent to the Kräftig Polo Club, which has since been renamed the August Busch Polo Club. At the time, a Busch spokesperson said he "may pursue the Defiance opportunity in the future, but nothing is certain.”
Now, the project is back on and has a name: Busch Family Brewing & Distilling. “We named it that because my whole family is involved, which means my wife and all seven kids,” Busch says. “That’s what makes it fun.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBBY KLEIN
A 10-episode reality show starring Busch’s family aired on MTV from March through May 2020. One of the plot lines for The Busch Family Brewed revolved around the planning of the brewery and distillery. Season 1 ended with the groundbreaking.
For the past year, Busch and his brewmaster, Joshua Hearst , an A-B alum, have been tinkering with experimental brews and perfecting the recipe for a true German pilsner beer at their research pilot brewery located on the Defiance property.
“The Germans get the credit for making the best pilsner beers,” he says, “so I thought to make a pilsner and naming it after my great-grandfather would be the greatest way to honor what he created at Anheuser-Busch."
Even Busch family agnostics would agree that Adolphus is the perfect name for a premium German pilsner beer. (And how can you argue with a guy who apparently said, 'You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are'?)
Courtesy Busch Family Brewing and Distilling
The good news: Adolphus is ready. It’s been quietly available on tap at Lester’s, Sportsman’s Park, and Hammerstone’s for the past few weeks. A can release is scheduled in early December at Sportsman’s Park.
The bad news: The pilot brewery can only produce small amounts of beer, a half-barrel at a time, which translates to 16 sixth barrels per month, “which isn’t a lot of beer at all,” Busch says. “Adolphus did really well at Sportsman’s and, given the production limitations, it only makes sense for us to service that one account.”
Adolphus is made using only German noble hops, malts, and yeasts. “The only part that isn’t German is the water,” Busch quips. “We’re making pilsner just like Old World German pilsners were supposed to be made, following reinheitsgebot, the regulation stipulating that German beer be made only from those four ingredients."
Busch adds that there aren’t a lot of craft pilsners in the local market, “and for good reason,” he says. “First, a proper pilsner costs a lot to brew. The mash needs to be decocted, which brings out more of the malt’s sweetness but requires an additional kettle or tank. The brew time is longer—a pilsner takes four weeks to brew; an IPA takes two weeks or less. And pilsners—and lagers, for that matter—ferment better in horizontal fermenters, which take up more space. Simply put, ales are easier to produce; pilsners require more of the brewer’s attention.”
The pilot brewery produces just enough beer “to start the hype ball rolling,” acknowledges Busch. Addressing possible demand, he adds, “Between now and when the main brewery is ready, I guess we could go the contract brewery route, but they must have horizontal fermenters, the ability to decoct, and the necessary brewer skills, which is a lot to ask, so I just don’t know.”
For now, Busch has a source for cans, a label design for the Adolphus pilsner, and a local brewery that can do the canning, “so that is an option, but on a very small scale,” he says.
Courtesy Busch Family Brewing and Distilling
That's where a release party comes in. On December 5 from 3–5 p.m., Sportsman’s Park will host an Adolphus Can Release Gathering. Guests can sample three unreleased brews from Busch Family Brewing & Distilling on tap—Munich Dunkel, Altbier, and Winter Warmer—nosh on pub grub, and take home 16-ounce cans of the inaugural release of Adolphus German Pilsner beer. (Complete details are available here, and tickets are available here.)
Going forward, Busch is excited to proceed with a version of the original plan for the brewery and distillery, which is now slated to open in fall 2022. “We’re in a good position; we’re riding the wave,” he says. “Especially since the pandemic, people appreciate being outside, and I don’t see that changing.
“St. Charles Country is growing like crazy,” he adds, “and then there’s Dave Hoffmann, with all his plans [for Augusta] nearby. We’ll be part of that. Dave is creating something unique and we are, too. I think people realized that by us keeping our property open and wild—having secured farmland there instead of more neighborhoods—will increase everyone’s property values."
Busch says Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light will return and be brewed in the new facility as well. “We know that Kräftig was a great lager beer,” he says. While it won awards, he adds, the marketing power, the sales power, and the legacy of the mainstream lager competitors was hard to overcome. The Kräftig recipe took a full two years to fully develop and adhered to the same strict quality standards and traditions of the Busch family, “which was to never compromise and never cut a corner. That’s what my forefathers did and I’m doing the same thing, with Kräftig, Adolphus, and everything else we brew.”
Busch points out that since Kräftig was contract-brewed in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, not having his own brewery was a detriment. “We were never able to showcase all the steps and workmanship that went into it,” he says. “I think when people finally see that in Defiance, they’ll better appreciate our beers.”
Regarding the spirits end of the business, Busch says beer brewing is the first step, but he and his family have no shortage of ideas regarding higher-proof, distilled products.
“With Kräftig, we got behind the eight-ball by using a volume-based business model,” he says. “This time, we’re going to create many great products at a beautiful facility where people can experience them. We’re gonna nail it this time.”
